ACR Actions to Address PAMA Impact
The ACR is working through the American Medical Association (AMA) and the AMA Federation to identify the best path forward for correcting the payment system to protect patient access to important lab testing services at the point of care. As part of these collaborative efforts, the ACR has joined a letter written by concerned stakeholders to CMS Administrator Seema Verma outlining these concerns.
One major concern with this new payment methodology is the data used to establish it. Medicare reimbursement for a test equals the weighted median of private payer rates, based on rates from applicable labs, which largely excluded hospital labs from reporting data, according to ACR Senior Director of Government Affairs Adam Cooper, MS.
Because of concerns about these data used by the CMS to establish the new payment methodology, Mr. Cooper says the AMA is urging the CMS to issue an interim final rule that holds current 2017 rates in place until it has performed a targeted survey of all segments of the laboratory market.
Stay tuned to the ACR’s Advocacy News for further coverage on the College’s efforts to address how the PAMA is affecting practice and patient care.
Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist in Denver.